This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
“Our mission has always been to put local products at the center of the plate,” says Kevin Lavoie, co-owner of Racines boréales. The business he launched in May 2021 with Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert, his partner, opened its store earlier this month on Ontario Street, in the Montreal district of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. On the menu: wild foods, others cultivated, and some processed, but from here.
First an online site, Racines boréales quickly attracted the attention of provincial leaders. Etat-Major, Hélicoptère, Le Valois, Toqué!, H3, Montréal Plaza, Ratafia, Anemone, Knuckles, Le Clan, Le Hatley du Manoir Hovey, Maison Soma et Baumier — Wine bar… So many establishments stock up on sumac from vinegar, in trumpets of death or even in birch syrup for the couple in their thirties.
“We want to offer fresh products which are more difficult to find, because they are supplied through short circuits,” explains Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert. This is what we already offer to restaurants which is now available to the general public. »
Thus, depending on the season, we will find wild foods in the store, such as sea urchins, morels, chanterelles, sea parsley and samphire. So many plants growing “in our metaphorical backyard” without being easily accessible.
To this proposal were quickly added products from partner companies which use aromatics supplied by Racines boréales. We think of ready-to-cook products from Dunord, chocolates from Allo Simonne and Chocolat Dicitte and smoked fish from Beira Nova, which flavor their preparations with dune pepper, balsam fir or even wild rose.
“We don’t do everything, and that’s the fun to be able to offer a diversity of products, emphasizes Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert. We had already started selling some of them on our online store, such as seaweed from An ocean of flavors, products from Sel Saint-Laurent and fish sauce from KLKT. It was natural to offer them here and expand this offer. »
Educate without moralizing
Introducing little-known products to the general public comes with an educational component. The founding couple of Racines boréales understood this well and are increasing their initiatives in this area.
This is demonstrated, for example, by the company’s collaboration with food illustrator Laucolo. Together, they offer a poster that represents nine Nordic plants with preparation methods, taste pairings and dish ideas.
Providing recipes and inspiration for flavor combinations is also part of this educational effort. “Otherwise, it would still be the same circle of people who would consume these products because they already know how to cook them. The rest of the people would think that it’s not for them,” analyzes Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert.
And there are comparisons with what we know. Talking about sweet clover like Quebec vanilla or pine spikenard like Nordic cardamom provides points of reference. “Sweet clover doesn’t taste like vanilla, it tastes like sweet clover. But it helps from somewhere,” believes Kevin Lavoie, who nevertheless believes that we must be careful not to reduce the flavor profile of boreal products.
The couple also takes the time to explain the prices to their customers. Their powdered sweet clover, made from hand-harvested flowers, is obviously not in the same price range as the synthetic vanilla essence found at the grocery store. Likewise, birch syrup cannot be compared with maple syrup, which requires a much smaller volume of sap to produce the same quantity of final product.
Multiple ambassadors
Kevin Lavoie and Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert are not the only ones who want to democratize boreal products. The province’s chefs also contribute greatly to introducing these flavors to the general public. And this, from the peppery citrus taste of American cavalier to the hoppy smell of sweet balsam, including the traveling comptonia, delicious with fish.
“The interest of chefs in these products is percolating towards the general public,” estimates Marie-Philippe Mercier Lambert. As more customers eat morels at restaurants, they want to try cooking them at home. We’re happy to be able to offer this to everyone, because we don’t think it should be reserved for a culinary elite. »
“Québec’s culinary identity is much more than poutine and maple syrup. There is an incredible diversity of flavors in Quebec, but people don’t know it! » concludes Kevin Lavoie.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.